


Jalph//Just A Book

by YanneryKid



Category: Lord of the Flies, Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Genre: M/M, Read this in English class now I'm in the fandom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:42:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28683489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YanneryKid/pseuds/YanneryKid
Summary: Just a week after arriving back home from the island, the boys are being forced back to their uptight religious private school. Ralph just wants to adjust, to live a normal life and forget the horrible things he'd seen and done on the island. All this is thrown off course when none other than Jack Merridew is assigned as his roomate.
Relationships: Jack Merridew & Ralph, Jack Merridew/Ralph, Jack and ralph, Jalph
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

After spending months on a wide, open island, the little dorm that Ralph had been placed in was a bit cramped. It was unfair they had to return to school that early. The trauma   
from his time on the island hadn’t magically disappeared after a week at home. It had all happened so fast - getting on the navy ship, landing back home in Britain. The papers were all over the story, but their identities were kept a secret. Ralph had even been assured that the other kids at school didn’t know. That didn’t mean he was going to forget though. The rest of the boys, they’d know. Every time they passed each other in the cafeteria or out in the courtyard. They’d know. 

Ralph hadn’t seen a single one of them yet since his father had dropped him off just a few hours ago. Technically, there was still a week since he was expected to return to his classes, but his father was a commander in the navy and had important things to take care of, Ralph not included. He didn’t really mind, but it was going to be a bit lonely. Their return from the island had coincided perfectly with the start of their school’s March vacation, which normally lasted two weeks. Of course, the school was a boarding school so there were some kids who stayed over vacations, but most of Ralph’s mates went home. 

When they returned, what would they think of him? Would he ever tell them about what happened on the island? If he did, what would they think then? Even if he didn’t tell them, they might sense something a little off. 

Ralph knew that his time on the island had changed him, mostly for the worse. The same was true of all the boys. Well, the littluns he wasn’t too sure about. Some of the especially younger ones got the whole rest of the year off, but even the ones that didn’t went to a different part of the school, one for primary kids. Ralph himself had graduated from that section just a year ago, when he’d been eleven. Now he was in the secondary section. So were most of the other boys, including Samneric, and Roger. And Jack. That was not going to be good. What were all of them supposed to do when they saw eachother in class or in the halls. ‘Heyo friend. Remember when you tried to kill me?’ 

Ralph reminded himself that he wasn’t going to be seeing any of them for a whole nother week, and he already had enough to worry about. At least his studies would come quite easily - the headmaster was making all the boys involved repeat the school year because they’d missed so much of it, so studies weren’t much of a concern. ‘The rest of the year is for you to adjust back to a school setting,’ he’d said. If he needed to adjust to his settings better, then he’d need to explore them a little bit better. 

It had been a few minutes since the secretary of the secondary section had shown him to the dorm, and he hadn’t looked around. As soon as he’d set his bags down, he’d gotten lost in thought. It all seemed so long ago that he’d been to the school. It was so unfamiliar. Some part of him wanted to be back on the island, roaming free with no one telling him what he could or couldn’t do, what he could or couldn’t be. But the island wasn’t a good place, so why did he want it back? He wasn’t a savage animal, he was a proper boy. 

Ralph sighed, looking around the dorm. A door that lead out into the hallway opened up into some sort of entrance room that had a little round table with two chairs. On the table there was a little pamphlet for the school, Bishop Wordsworths. So much for God. He hadn’t so much as thought about praying for months and months. Would he go to Hell for his sins? Ralph wasn’t all that confident in Christianity after everything he’d seen on the island, but if it was real than he didn’t wantto be eternally damned. There had to be a bible somewhere. It was a religious school for heaven’s sake. 

He turned into the only other room, which had two uncomfortable looking beds positioned on opposite sides. They weren’t even that far away from eachother due to the sheer minisculity of the room, and were only separated by a little wooden bedside table with a lamp on it and one tiny drawer. He knelt down and pulled it open. Of course, there was a bible inside. 

He gingerly picked it up, wondering if he’d feel some sort of holiness, but it just felt like any other book. He flipped it open, flitting through the pages. If someone asked him to recite a ingle bible verse, he would’ve been totally blanking. He didn’t know what to look for. The bible was just a book. No, no. That kind of thinking would get him to Hell. It wasn’t just a book. He ran a finger through his blonde hair, which had been freshly cut into possibly the most boring haircut possible before landing on a random page. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more,” he read aloud, waiting for something to happen. 

It was useless. His wickedness would never be forgiven, and certainly not forgotten. He leaned back against one of the beds, pulling his knees to his chest just like he had on all those strange nights on the island. If he just closed his eyes he could sense the leaves and sticks of the mangled shelters they’d built protecting him from all the dangers of the island. How he wished to be back there. The island was a battlefield in it’s final days, but the thought of it seemed so peaceful. He could feel his eyes droop a little. Maybe some rest wouldn’t hurt. He climbed up onto the bed and collapsed onto it, not even bothering to put some blankets on. Before you could say Samneric he was out like a light. 

Thirty minutes later, Ralph was still fast asleep, content in his little catnap. Unfortnately, it wouldn’t last for long. He awoke with a start when there was a banging at his door. He nearly fell off the bed. “C-coming! Who is it?” “It’s me, the secretary from earlier. I’m just dropping by with your roommate. He arrived just a bit after you did.” 

Roomate? He should’ve known. The two chairs, the double beds. Maybe a roommate was just what he needed - he hadn’t interacted with any normal boys his age for months. He made a quick decision to tell his roommate about the island. Whoever he was, he’d probably be understanding. He shoved the bible back into it’s drawer and stumbled out of the bedroom, almost knocking into one of the chairs before he opened the door. 

Not one second after opening it, he slammed it shut. No. Not happening. “Ralph,” the secretary warned. “I’m really going to need you to open the door. Your new roommate needs to put his stuff away and you’re being sort of rude.” 

Ralph shook his head on the other side of the door. “I’m not letting him in.” Just one look at that curly red hair sent him spiraling back to, well, everything. The fires,   
the meat, the mountain. The bad parts of the island. How was Ralph supposed to forget all those traumatic memories if the person that had caused all that trauma was his roommate? 

“Yes you are,” the secretary said, her collected tone veering towards annoyance. “What do you have against Mr. Merridew? Jack’s a perfectly nice young boy, and he has a good voice too.” 

“Everything,” Ralph muttered. He had everything against ‘Mr. Merridew.’ Yet something made him open the door. 

“Hello, Jack.” 

“H-hullo Ralph. How’s your vacation going?” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have a summary for this chapter. I just want to say that every single person who reads this and enjoys it truly matters to me. Thanks so much!

"H-hullo Ralph. How was your vacation?" 

Ralph swallowed, trying to contain his rage. "It was . . . short-lived. My father is a commander in the Navy and he had to send me back early."

He was half expecting Jack to tell him to shut up about his father's position as a commander, but the taller boy didn't do anything like that. He just nodded solemnly. "My father sent me back early as well. He . . . he thought it would be 'better' for me."

Ralph looked back into the dorm. "Better? No way. What are they thinking sending us back here? Even the full two weeks is too little, don't you agree?"

To his surprise, Jack shrugged. "I mean, I don't feel very prepared for the remainder of the year, but I will be a bit excited to get back to my studies."

Wow. Merridew had changed from the savage boy he'd been on the island. If not for his curly red hair and piercing blue eyes, Ralph might have thought he was a different person. For the first time since the boy had arrived, Ralph actually took a good look at him. The boy in front of him was clad in his usual black cloak, this time without rips, it's velvet fabric pristine and smooth. His straight black pants were in the same condition. Jack had long, gangly legs but a very thin figure, and Ralph almost wondered if he'd had the new pants custom order. Asides from his attire, not much was different. His pale, thin face was still twisted into a bit of a frown, but without the horrible, horrible mask. Ralph had almost forgotten he had freckles under there. His red hair wasn't ashy and dirty anymore, but it was still quite curly and had been cut into some sort of undercut style. It looked quite good and Ralph wished that he'd gotten that cut as well instead of the boring old one that all the boys were going to have. Atop his hair he wore a small black cap - a plain one. Ralph realized that something was missing.

"Where's your cross?"

Jack squinted his eyes. "My cross? You expect me to wear one around my neck like a girl?"

"No, not that," Ralph grumbled. The gold one, on your cap. Where is it?"

Jack looked down at the floor. "They- they took it away. When the school found out what happened, they . . ." The secretary, who was still there, put a hand on Jack's shoulder, probably to comfort him, but he tensed. "They took away my position as leader of the boys' choir."

Ralph wasn't the biggest fan of Jack, but he knew that the boy praised his role as leader of the choir very highly. They couldn't take it away from him. Jack Merridew was the choir leader. That didn't change. He didn't like to admit it, but Jack was a very good singer. Ralph reckoned he could get a lot of money from it later. "I'm truly sorry Jack," he said finally. "They shouldn't take that away from you. It's not right. Who's supposed to take over anyways? All the members of the boys' choir were on . . ."

"The- the island. I know. They've actually disbanded the choir for now. The headmaster said they'd probably reinstate it at some point, but for now, it was best to . . . to put an end to it."

"But why?" Ralph wondered.

Jack shrugged. "Who knows, Ralph. Now I'm very tired from my long drive here and I'd like to rest, so could you please let me in?"

"I suppose," Ralph said. Rest. How was he supposed to get rest when he was sleeping just a few feet away from Jack Merridew, of all people. He may have changed on the outside, but Ralph knew what he was capable of. Who's to say he wouldn't get stabbed in his sleep. Nevertheless, he stepped aside, not offering to take any of Jack's luggage.

The secretary smiled, putting a hand on the door. "I'll let you two be, ok? Get some rest." She shut the door, leaving them alone in the room. 

Ralph wondered if he should say anything, but Jack beat him to it. "I don't actually need some rest. I live a town over," the redhead explained. "I was just lying so that awful woman would go away."

"Awful? She seemed alright."

Jack set a brown case down on the circular table. "She was right talking my ear off on the way to this stuffy little room. She was telling me about the plane crash, and- well, she doesn't know we were on it."

"She doesn't know? I thought . . ."

Jack crossed his arms. "No one knows, Jack. Just the headmaster. Not our teachers, not the other kids, not the sports captains. It's a secret. You and I have been going here for the past six months, we're just having a room change after vacation. And you better not let anyone think for a second that that's not true. If anyone finds out, I'm . . . I'm ruined. We all are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ralph finds out some troubling news about the school, and then some more about Jack, which gives him an idea.

The headmaster hadn't said anything about keeping any of the events that had gone on a secret - he'd just told Ralph that the other students weren't aware. He'd thought at least the professors would know so they could provide some support in class. If they had no idea, how would he get the rest he needed? Troubled, he ran a calloused hand through his cropped blonde hair. "You're sure they don't know?"

Jack nodded, pulling out one of the small wooden chairs at the table. "I'm sure. Look, the school doesn't actually care, you know that right? This whole plane crash thing, the . . . the savage stuff - it's not making Bishop Wordsworth's look too good. I'm sure if some of the teachers knew they might, well . . . they might quit their jobs. I know I wouldn't want to work at a school where the kids turned into murderous, raging . . . well, you get the picture."

"I . . . I dunno. They do care a bit. We're their own students, of course," Ralph reasoned.

"Not their students anymore. They don't want to be responsible for us anymore. We're an inconvenience. Quite honestly, I think there are plans to expel us after the year's out."

Ralph's eyes widened. "What? That can't be!"

"Think again, Ralph. I'm sure they told you the same thing they told me: take the year off and stick to your dorm."

Ralph had almost forgotten that part of the headmaster's monologue. If Jack Merridew was his roommate he was going to do no such thing. Unfortunately, it was all starting to make sense. "They don't want people to see us."

Jack nodded solemnly. "Right. Essentially, the school is hiding us away. I mean, I don't blame them. We're an embarrassment. When I was in the headmaster's room, I saw some forms I don't think I was meant to see. Our 'expellations.' Your's, mine, Samnerics, probably Roger's too. The date was for the end of the last quarter. They're letting us go."

"Why not just send us home now?" Ralph inquired. The school's dealings were often beyond his understanding, such as why would they send a group of boys ranging from 4 to 12 over the sea in active wartime.

"I was confused at first too," Jack admitted. "But think about it. The name of the school's already been leaked to the media. If they sent us home now, everyone would know."

Ralph hadn't been aware that the name of the school had been leaked. "I suppose you're right."

A shadow of a smile appeared on Jack's face, or so Ralph thought. It wasn't a cocky one, but more one of appreciation. Ralph knew from experience that Jack didn't smile a whole lot, but the happy look fit him, making his light blue eyes twinkle. Unfortunately, Jack's smile faded after a few moments, the redhead looking a little lost in thought.

"It's sad," he said finally. "Everywhere I go I seem to be an inconvenience of some sort."

Ralph pulled out a chair as well, suddenly feeling compassionate for the boy in front of him. "I'm sure that's not true, Jack."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "You know you're lying, Ralph. I'm an inconvenience at home, I was a horrible inconvenience on that dreaded island, I'm an inconvenience for the school, and now I'm an inconvenience to you."

"Merridew, you've got to listen to me. I don't completely forgive you, I don't think, but . . . we wouldn't have gotten off the island if not for that fire. And I wouldn't worry about the school. They sent us on that trip, afterall. Me, well . . . you're not really an inconvenience I'd say, more like an annoyance. No offense."

Jack shrugged. "None taken. I get where you're coming from, and I appreciate the kind words. But you just don't get it. I'm not wanted anywhere."

Ralph remembered what he said about being an inconvenience at home. What did he mean? "I . . . I want to get it. If you'd tell me, I could help," he prompted.

"Look, it's none of your business, okay?" Jack snapped, standing up. "God, you're so pushy, Ralph. Get out of my face." He stood up and strode off towards the room with the beds, slamming the door behind him.

Ralph stayed sitting at the table, staring at the door. For some reason, Jack's harsh words struck Ralph personally, and he almost felt like he was going to cry. He needed to focus on something else to keep that burning sensation away from the corners of his eyes. The pamphlets for the school were still lying on the table and he reached for one to see what it said. "Here at Bishop Wordsworth's we encourage the new Christian youth to serve God," he read out loud. Obviously, Bishop Wordsworth's hadn't done a great job with that.

He crumpled up the paper and tossed it towards a little wastebasket by the door to the bedroom, but it collided with the door, which Jack had pushed open at the last moment.

"Sorry," Ralph muttered, not wanting to get another scolding from the other boy.

Instead, the other boy sat down at the table again. "No, no. I should be sorry. I'm sorry for snapping at you a second ago, I just . . . I have some anger issues."

 _Well, duh_ , Ralph thought, but he didn't say it out loud. He looked across at Jack, who truly looked sorry. He felt bad for Merridew. For the rest of his life, that boy was going to carry the weight of all his actions. All of them were, but Jack especially. He'd been at the helm of it all. Ralph didn't completely blame him, especially now that he knew about the anger issues. "It's okay, Jack. You . . . you can't really control it."

Jack took one of the pamphlets and folded it up into a little square. "Well, I'm working towards it. It's not going to well, though. I keep lashing out like this. Clearly, it hasn't brought me any good."

Ralph decided that he needed to help the boy out. Even though he was still mad at him for, well, everything, Jack was a person too. The bible verse he'd read earlier was talking about forgiveness or something like that. If he could forgive Jack, maybe God could forgive both of their sins on the island.

"Jack, I think this whole roommates thing might just work out for us. I want to help you with your anger issues, and maybe you can help with my problem," he proposed.

The redhead across the table from him looked interested. "Go on . . ."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading I guess? I don't think this will get many reads but let me know if you have any suggestions or if you enjoyed.


End file.
